In Another Major R&D Deal, Insilico Taps Chinese Pharma for AI-Designed Cardiometabolic Drugs
Insilico Medicine has signed a strategic collaboration with Chinese Qilu Pharmaceutical valued at nearly $120 million to co-develop small molecule therapies targeting cardiometabolic diseases. The partnership will leverage Insilico’s Pharma.AI generative platform for molecular design, with Qilu overseeing clinical development and commercialization. The deal includes milestone payments and single-digit royalties on net sales.
Pharma.ai is Insilico’s commercially available end-to-end generative AI software and automation stack for pharmaceutical R&D. It combines multiple modules (PandaOmics for target discovery, Chemistry42 for small-molecule design, biologics design tools, clinical trial prediction, and LLM-based assistants) into a single platform designed to support the full workflow from hypothesis generation through preclinical and clinical decision support.
Image credit: Insilico Medicine
This agreement expands a relationship that began in 2021 when Qilu licensed Insilico’s PandaOmics software.
PandaOmics is Insilico’s AI-driven target discovery and data analysis platform that integrates large-scale omics datasets with literature, clinical trials, patents, grants, and drug information into a structured knowledge base.
According to Alex Zhavoronkov’s (CEO & CBO at Insilico Medicine) 2025 presentation at Bio-Europe 2025, Insilico’s internal cardiometabolic pipeline consists of 8 drug candidates spanning from initial hit identification to IND-enabling stages, all developed using the Pharma.AI platform. Overall, the company reports nominating 22 development-stage assets since 2021, with its most advanced, Rentosertib, reaching positive Phase IIa results.
See also: Insilico Medicine Launches AI Gym for LLMs and Secures FDA Clearance for AI-Designed NLRP3 Inhibitor
The collaboration follows Insilico’s broader strategy of combining AI-based molecular design with external clinical partners. Other recent ones include R&D alliances with Sanofi and Eli Lilly, as well as out-licensing deals with Menarini Group. Insilico was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in December 2025, raising around US$290 million.
Topic: AI in Bio
